Brendan vs Donal

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

• Northern Ireland · Boys

  In 2024, Brendan was ranked #404 and Donal #216 among boys in Northern Ireland.

• Republic of Ireland · Boys

  In 2025, Brendan was ranked #402 and Donal #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

• England and Wales · Boys

  In 2024, Brendan was ranked #1402 and Donal #5119 among boys in England and Wales.

Brendan and Donal over time

Brendan and Donal appear together in 3 published lists, across 104 years of shared records. Brendan held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Donal in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Brendan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Donal in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

• Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025

  Brendan held the stronger position in 55 of those years, Donal in 6.

  Highest recorded here: Brendan #16 in 1965, Donal #38 in 1965.

  The order between them never changed and held in this list.

  Most recent shared year, 2025: Brendan #402, Donal #509.

• Northern Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2024

  Brendan held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Donal in 8.

  Highest recorded here: Brendan #73 in 1997, Donal #117 in 1998.

  The order changed in 2021: Donal moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #213 and #231; by 2021 that had become #433 and #200.

  Most recent shared year, 2024: Brendan #404, Donal #216.

• England and Wales · Boys15 shared years, 1996–2024

  Brendan held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Donal in 0.

  Highest recorded here: Brendan #157 in 1998, Donal #1746 in 2001.

  The order between them never changed and held in this list.

  Most recent shared year, 2024: Brendan #1402, Donal #5119.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Side by side

How each name got here